HEARTBROKEN Kilwinning mum Margaret Conway has suffered the most unimaginable loss - the death of her beautiful teenage daughter Dionne Kennedy.

The 19-year-old, who had suffered from severe mental health problems since childhood, took her own life last week in Scotland’s only female prison.

In her desperate search for answers 47-year-old Margaret discovered heart-wrenching letters left to her from Dionne which explained the devastating reason she had been troubled for so many years.

Speaking through her tears, Margaret told the Times: “I found these letters, poems and drawings which Dionne had hidden away in my room for me to find. In them she explains that she was raped when she was 13. It all made sense suddenly. That was the trigger for all her problems. And I had no idea.” As well as discovering Dionne’s letters Margaret’s grief has been compounded by the fact that she believes her daughter’s death could have been avoided if she had been better cared for within the prison system.

Dionne had been incarcerated for a knife offence. A prolific and severe self-harmer, Margaret says Dionne carried a small knife or razor with her at all times - not as a weapon to use on others, but a tool to use on her own skin.

She said: “Dionne was a severe, severe self-harmer. She would cut her self terribly. It wasn’t nice to see. She was getting help, but she ended up getting the jail because of the knife.” However on October 20 Dionne was released from Cornton Vale Prison and spoke of making a fresh start and turning her life around with the help of her family.

But later that same night police arrived at her door and re-arrested her for an outstanding warrant for breach of the peace, which a bemused Dionne knew nothing about.

Following her re-arrest she was put in the jail’s young offenders’ unit – Skye house – despite being previously held in the mental health section, where, aware of her serious problems staff had ­monitored her round-the-clock.

She was found dead in her cell by staff last Sunday, November 2 after taking her own life.

Margaret, of Kilrig Avenue, Woodwynd, is now desperate to know why Dionne wasn’t told she would be re-arrested but, instead, given a few hours of freedom – which she believes tipped her over the edge.

Margaret said: “I can’t understand why she wasn’t subject to a 'gate arrest’ - which is what happens in almost all cases. The prisoner is released and, when there is an outstanding warrant for another offence, they are re-arrested at the gate and taken straight back in. Instead she was allowed to come home before being arrested later that night.

“I’ve been told that she was last seen in her cell at 9.40pm and she wasn’t discovered until 8.30am the next day. She was known to the prison service and had been on suicide watch before. She should have been in the psychiatric unit where they have someone with them at all times because they know how vulnerable they are. Instead she was left alone over night and she obviously couldn’t cope anymore. It’s devastating, especially because I know it could have been avoided.” Margaret and the rest of Dionne’s friends and family are now hoping to turn the tragic teen’s death into something positive for other young people who are suffering in silence.

Margaret said: “When Dionne was growing up people thought she was just a bad girl, but she wasn’t, she was smart and intellectual, just very troubled and misunderstood. She was my daughter and I couldn’t help her or get the help for her that she needed. So many people are in need of mental health assistance and a lot of the time there is three-month waiting lists or more. Dionne needed help there and then.” The family are now selling special purple and orange ribbons in honour of Dionne with all the proceeds of every ribbon sold going to mental health charities.

Margaret said: “If I can help one person get the help that Dionne needed then I will feel like I am helping her in a way and that she hasn’t died for nothing.” A police spokesman said: “Police can confirm a 19-year-old woman was found dead in Cornton Vale prison at 9am on November 2. Her death is being treated as non-­suspicious and a report has been sent to the procurator fiscal.” Dionne’s ribbons will be available soon in local shops and outlets.